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BOSTON – Backed by 32 bench points and a double-double by Samantha DeFreese, the Northeastern women's basketball team improved to 3-0 on the season after defeating UMES, 60-49, Thursday night in front of the Huskies' home fans at Cabot Center.
 
NU reserves Gabriella Giacone, Maureen Taggart, and Kazzidy Stewart combined to shoot 60 percent (12-of-20) off the bench, accounting for more than half of the Huskies' scoring production. Taggart ended the game a perfect five-of-five from the field, draining three 3-pointers and coming one point shy (13) of her career best, 14 points.
 
Giacone shot five-of-six from the field during 23 minutes of court time, tying her season high of 14 points. Stewart chipped in five points of her own as the NU bench outscored the Hawks, 32-15.
 
Smart defense by Northeastern (3-0) helped the Huskies avoid sending UMES to the foul line as NU limited the Hawks to just eight free-throw attempts, of which they converted only four. Entering Thursday, UMES had been averaging 26.5 free-throw attempts and been shooting above 64 percent from the charity stripe.
 
DeFreese made UMES (1-2) aware of her presence on the glass as the senior co-captain hauled in six defensive boards during the first half en route to her first double-double since the 2015 CAA tournament (March 12). Like DeFreese, Jess Genco appeared in 37 minutes of action on Thursday night, notching eight points, eight rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
 
Fresh off a career-high, 19-point performance against Siena on Nov. 15, Claudia Ortiz picked up right where she left off, scoring five points while collecting three steals.
 
TeAmber Burke (13 points), Ciani Byrom (11), and Moengaroa Subritzky (10) each finished in double figures for UMES, who shot 32.2 percent from the field on 19-of-59 shooting. The Hawks' seven 3-pointers were one fewer than the Huskies' eight, but UMES did manage to force Northeastern into committing a season high, 22 turnovers.
 
DeFreese opened the scoring for NU on the Huskies' very first possession, making a strong move in the post to put Northeastern ahead, 2-0. After UMES had come up empty following a sequence of three straight offensive rebounds, Ortiz scored five unanswered points courtesy of a nifty cross-over and two made jumpers that left NU in front, 7-5.
 
With less than 10 seconds remaining in the first, Taggart helped Northeastern build a three-point advantage at 16-13, cleaning up a missed shot by Stewart just before the buzzer had sounded.
 
Rising up to the occasion, Taggart jumpstarted a streak of 12 unanswered points by Northeastern in the second quarter with a 3-pointer that came two minutes into the period. Shut-down defense by the Huskies kept the Hawks without a basket for more than five minutes of game time, while a 3-pointer by Genco forced UMES to call timeout, trailing 26-13. NU went on to outscore the Hawks, 17-2, during the second as the Huskies took a 33-15 lead into the mid-game break.
 
For the first time in two games, Northeastern was presented with a challenging third quarter as UMES came out of the locker room on a 15-2 run. Giacone helped NU regain its offensive form by knocking down her first two career 3-pointers, putting the Huskies back up by eight at 41-33. Hustle plays by DeFreese inside the key and Ortiz on the perimeter kept NU in front by nine, 45-36, with one period to play.
 
Northeastern's bench proved to be too much for UMES as the fourth quarter progressed. Taggart nailed her third 3-pointer of the game with 6:15 remaining in the half, giving NU a 50-40 lead. Solid passing and ball handling by the Huskies' guards kept Northeastern ahead by nine points the rest of the way as NU opened its home schedule with a 60-49 victory.
 
The Huskies will head to Moraga, California, next week to participate in the St. Mary's Hilton Concord Thanksgiving Classic. NU will play two neutral-site games against Missouri (Nov. 27) and Fresno State (Nov. 28).
 
STATS OF THE GAME
-Gabriella Giacone, last week's CAA Rookie of the Week, finished with 14 bench points on five-of-six shooting. In her first three collegiate games, Giacone is shooting 58.6 percent from the floor and is averaging 13.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
-Senior Samantha DeFreese and freshman Jess Genco each appeared in 37 minutes of action on Thursday night for the Huskies. Genco is now averaging 37.3 minutes per game as Northeastern's rookie point guard.
-With 13 points on a perfect five-of-five shooting, Maureen Taggart came within one point of tying her career high for points in a game (14). Taggart has made 37 3-pointers in 32 career games.
-The Huskies outrebounded UMES, 46-33. Northeastern has now outrebounded its opponent in each of its three games this season.
-Northeastern has scored 30 bench points or more during two of its three games this year. NU had 31 bench points in a 77-44 win against Boston University and registered 32 bench points on Thursday against the Hawks.
-Northeastern is 3-0 for the first time in 33 seasons (1982-83).
-The Huskies have now won two consecutive home openers, after defeating Boston University, 75-74, a season ago.